Exploring Saskatchewan’s Athabasca Sand Dunes

One of Athabasca’s giant dunes just before sunset. And yes, we are still in Saskatchewan – not the Sahara!

The Athabasca Sand Dunes are, quite simply, our favourite place in the world. Stretching for about 100 kilometres along the south shore of Lake Athabasca in Saskatchewan’s far north, these are the largest dunes in Canada and the largest this far north anywhere in the world. But it’s not just size that makes them unique. As we might expect, most of the world’s great sand dunes are in deserts or at least in very arid regions. But not here. The Athabasca Sand Dunes lie smack in the middle of boreal forest and lakelands, next to one of Canada’s largest lakes, and sliced by three rivers. Surprisingly, the best way to explore these extraordinary dunes is by canoe. How cool is that?

Storm clouds over the south shore of Lake Athabasca.

Massive walls of sand lining the west bank of the William River take on a pinkish tinge just before sunrise.

The same wall of sand as in the previous photo, though here taking on a golden glow just after sunrise.

We’ve been coming here off and on for many years, drawn by the enchanting landscape. On our first trip we canoed down the William River, which for about 25 kilometres is like a narrow ribbon running between two totally different worlds. The east bank is clothed in dark green jack pine forest typical of the north, while the west side is lined by massive banks of golden sand, in places rising 30 metres straight out of the water.

The William River just before it empties into Lake Athabasca.

The William is like two different rivers. For most of its length it races through frothing rapids and boulder-strewn rock gardens. Then, 18 kilometres before reaching Lake Athabasca, it becomes completely sand-choked. spreading into a shallow, braided stream up to a half kilometre wide in places. Here you are hard pressed to find a single stone.

We’ve paddled upstream a few times as far as the last rapids, which is only possible when water levels are high. Two challenges are tackling the fairly strong current, and keeping our paddles in deep enough water to maintain powerful strokes. We constantly zigzag across the wide river searching for deeper channels. But the effort is worth it, since going upstream takes us into the most spectacular dune scenery.

Trying to find enough deep water to paddle upstream on the William River.

Mid-river photo stop on a William River sandbar.

Our most recent visit was this past summer. There wasn’t enough water to go upstream on the William River, so we spent a delightful week paddling along the south shore of the lake, lined by almost non-stop beach, and exploring the various dune fields along the way. We saw no other people and no other boats. If it weren’t for the odd plane flying overhead, there would have been absolutely nothing to remind us of the “civilized world”.

The extremely shallow, sandbar-laden south shore of Lake Athabasca. Large boats have a difficult time negotiating these conditions, another reason why travelling by canoe is ideal.

The dunes have a long list of outstanding features, including numerous rare plants, including endemics found nowhere else on earth. We find fuzzy, felt-leaved willow, delicate strands of sand chickweed that thrive in pure sand, and Athabasca thrift resembling tiny pink candy apples. Most intriguing are the exhumed forests, where ancient trees were once buried by moving sand then exhumed as the dunes migrate with the prevailing winds.

Sea lyme grass, one of the many rare plants growing in the dunes.

Sign of the Cross. The desiccated remains of tree trunks often erode into fascinating shapes, such as here where it has formed the shape of a cross.

The red glow of the setting sun over the exhumed forest.

Exhumed forest overlooking Lake Athabasca.

A two-hour hike west of the William River brings us to the giant dunes. About 40 monsters lie in the centre of the dune field, many rising over 30 metres high and stretching a kilometre long, their knife-edge crests flowing in sinuous curves. Climbing to the top, we keep reminding ourselves that we’re still in Saskatchewan, not the Sahara.

Some of the giant dunes stretch up to a kilometre long.

Knife edge crest of a giant dune.

As impressive as the William River may be at water level, it saves its grand finale for those who fly over. Looking down over the braided section and expansive delta, the William is magically transformed into a giant abstract painting. Multi-hued shades of gold, beige and copper reveal varying depths of underwater sandbars, while above-water sand appears white, and deep channels a chocolate brown. Swirling colours remind us of butterscotch pudding marbled with whipped cream.

William River. Or is it an abstract painting?

A small island in the sand-choked William River. Except for the island and bright white sandbars, everything else in the image is below the water surface of the shallow river, where the constantly shifting sand has sculpted swirling contours of copper, chocolate, and beige on the river floor.

Other than evidence of forest fires here and there, we’ve noticed little change over the years. The dunes are protected in a provincial park, but even more important, isolation is preserving this enchanting landscape.

A section of the William River just before its delta on Lake Athabasca. What looks like rows of trees in the top of the image are ancient beach ridges marking former levels of Lake Athabasca.

The sand-choked braided section of the William River.

How to visit

There is one glitch in visiting this special place – it ain’t easy. There are no facilities of any kind – no roads, no buildings, no organized transport, no people, no cell service, nothing. Which is one of the reasons why it has remained such a delightful place. Options include chartering a float plane to drop you off or arranging boat transport from a Lake Athabasca community. The town of Stony Rapids on the east end of the lake is the main service centre with float plane charter companies. You can get to Stony Rapids by road (a bloody rough road in places). Another alternative is to fly into one of the Lake Athabasca north shore communities, such as Fond du Lac or Uranium City, which are closer to the dunes, then hire someone to take you by boat. We usually use the services of Blackmur’s Athabasca Fishing Lodges (fly-in only), located on the lake’s south shore about half way between Stony Rapids and the east end of the sand dunes. They also have canoes available. While we prefer travelling by canoe, some visitors get around by hiking. There are occasional guided excursions. Churchill River Canoe Outfitters sometimes offers tours, usually hiking trips. No matter how you go, you have to be fully prepared for self-sufficient wilderness camping.

In mid-summer, the sun sets over the widest part of Lake Athabasca and shines up at the exhumed forest high atop the dunes, turning the ghostly tree trucks a blood red.

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Meet Robin & Arlene

Robin and Arlene are authors of 13 books, including bestsellers and award-winners, plus they have contributed travel writing and photography to well over 100 other publications around the world. read more...

Awards & Achievements

June, 2018: Our article Sleeping with Rhinos on Photojourneys won First Place for the Best Outdoor/Adventure Feature at the Travel Media Association of Canada awards.

February, 2018: Our photo of Saskatchewan’s William River received a Highly Commended award in the Habitat and Landscapes category of the WildlifePhoto.com international nature photography competition.

Photo Journeys was named among the 100 Best Travel Photography Blogs on the web by FeedSpotJune, 2017: Our photo of two Alaskan Brown Bears fighting over prime fishing spots in Katmai National Park, Alaska won 1st place in the Best Action Photo Award in the Travel Media Association of Canada (TMAC) national awards.

May, 2017: Our photo was named a Finalist in the Siena International Photo Awards. The 2017 competition received 50,000 entries from 130 countries. The photo was of an Alaskan Brown Bear and salmon in Katmai National Park, Alaska.

February, 2017: Our photo of an Alaskan Brown Bear and salmon was awarded Highly Commended status in the Animal Behaviour Category of the 2016 WildlifePhoto.com competition. The image will be part of a photo exhibit at Big Screen Plaza in New York City.

June, 2016: Our photo of a brown bear fishing for salmon in Katmai National Park, Alaska, won 1st Place for the Best Action Photo at the Travel Media Association of Canada (TMAC) Awards.

Our photo of Bufflehead ducks in their spring mating ritual won Outstanding Achievement in the Best Action Photo at the same awards.

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2017 Bestsellers

Our book, The Great Saskatchewan Bucket List, topped the list as the Number One Bestseller on SaskBooks' (Saskatchewan Publishers Group) of Saskatchewan-published books for 2017. This was the 6th year in a row that the Bucket List was in the Number One spot.